BAME deaths in police custody

The proportion of BAME deaths in custody where restraint is a feature is over two times greater than it is in other deaths in custody

The proportion of BAME deaths in custody where use of force is a feature is over two times greater than it is in other deaths in custody

The proportion of BAME deaths in custody where mental health-related issues are a feature is nearly two times greater than it is in other deaths in custody

- Analysis of INQUEST casework and monitoring

Below is the breakdown of deaths of people of black and minority ethnicity (BAME) in custody or following other police contact and as the result of police shootings in England and Wales by calendar year (January-December) since 1990.

14% of deaths in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police since 1990 were BAME. This is proportionate to the population as at the 2011 census. However, BAME people die disproportionately as a result of use of force or restraint by the police, raising serious questions of institutional racism as a contributory factor in their deaths.

Total BAME deaths in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police, England & Wales 1990-date

We provide free and independent advice to bereaved people following a death in state care or detention in England and Wales, and in other cases where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question.